After a 5-15 stretch that had the Yankees nearly on the outside looking in for a playoff spot, they have won five straight games to turn their season around. A four-game sweep over the Orioles very much saved their season over the weekend. To look at how the Bronx Bombers did it, we bring you a brand new episode of the “Pinstripe Pod” with Chris Shearn and Yankees great Jeff Nelson.
The guys open the show with the funny part of the weekend, which was Aroldis Chapman seemingly pooping his pants. Poop has been a common theme of the podcast as Nellie has told multiple stories involving it, putting a new meaning to Nellie’s Nugget segments. Has that ever happened to Nellie or anyone he played with? The guys then get a bit more serious, diving into the Yankees’ turnaround and exactly how they did it. It took some good starting pitching, bullpen improvement and some timely hits. The Yankees now control their own destiny to get that second-place spot in the AL East and potentially move from the No. 7 seed to No. 5. The Yankees lineup gets some help in the coming weeks, but what will happen to Miguel Andujar and Clint Frazier? The guys believe they both deserve playing time. Do the Yankees have a shot at catching the Rays and winning the AL East or is it too late?
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In “Nellie’s Nugget” this week, it’s not about poop, but it involves rookie hazing. Nellie talks about his teammates making him wear a pink kimono outfit, them putting Alex Rodriguez in a wedding dress and Ichiro in a Hooters outfit. Nellie is disappointed there isn’t the rookie hazing going on any more, because they had so much fun with it.
NY Post baseball columnist and good friend of the program Ken Davidoff then drops by. Davidoff talks about the postgame Zoom session with Aaron Boone, getting into what happened with Chapman and “when mother nature calls.” Does Kenny see a difference in the way the Yankees are playing? What does the team do with Andujar when guys come back? Can J.A. Happ be a Game 4 starter in the playoffs? How has Boone managed the team differently? Will Gary Sanchez be the starting catcher in the playoffs? Nellie and Kenny also talk about the passing of Mark Newman, his role in being part of the dynasty in the late 90’s and Nellie’s story of meeting him.
Catch up on all episodes of “Pinstripe Pod,” a New York Yankees podcast, by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Chris Shearn on Twitter @ChrisShearnYES and Jeff Nelson @NYNellie43. The next episode of the podcast drops Thursday.